September 2011

Hawkshead Brewery has been a “spectacular success” according to the new edition of the Good Beer Guide, published this week. The guide picks out the brewery in Staveley, as evidence of the growing appeal of real ale.

In an article at the beginning of the 2012 CAMRA Good Beer Guide, published on 15th September, the editor, Roger Protz writes that the growing demand for real ale is forcing many breweries to expand to increase production.

Hawkshead is one of six young breweries in Britain picked out as prime examples of rapid growth. (The others are: Otley in Wales, Sambrook’s in London, Purity in Warwickshire, Stewart in Scotland and Moorhouse’s in Lancashire).

Since it was founded in 2002, Hawkshead Brewery, has been a “spectacular success,” writes Protz, not only for its brewing but also for its “highly praised Beer Hall, where drinkers and diners can look down on to the brewing plant.”

The Beer Hall, the Hawkshead Brewery tap in Staveley Mill Yard, was expanded recently to add a new bar and a kitchen, specialising in “beer tapas.” Windows throughout the brewery complex allow visitors to see into the brewery and watch it at work.

Hawkshead’s Alex Brodie said: “I am proud to have this recognition by the editor of the Good Beer Guide of our contribution to campaigning for real ale. Promoting our unique national drink is at the root of everything we do.